Navarra String Quartet

The Navarra Quartet has gained a reputation for adventurous programming and poetic playing. The group performs both contemporary and traditional repertory. The Navarra Quartet was founded in 2002 when the players were all standout students at the Royal Northern College of Music. The group's membership was long stable, consisting since the beginning of first violinist Magnus Johnston, second violinist Marije Johnston (née Ploemacher), violist Alexandru-Mihai Bota, and cellist Brian O'Kane; Marije Johnston was replaced by Bartosz Woroch. The Navarra Quartet made its recording debut in 2013 with the album Joseph Phibbs: The Canticle of the Rose. In 2023, the group appeared on an album of works for tenor, string quartet, and piano by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Ian Venables. The Navarra Quartet has also recorded the complete string quartets of Peteris Vasks.